


Starting Over

by kaeda



Series: Frat Boys Universe [6]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Friendship, Gen, General, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-22
Updated: 2007-05-22
Packaged: 2017-10-04 23:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaeda/pseuds/kaeda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suddenly parenting seems even more terrifying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starting Over

**Author's Note:**

> AU as of Turn Back the Pendulum, but hopefully still enjoyable! I suggest reading these fics in order from Surprise Visitor onward.

The night Urahara Kisuke felt reiatsu flare over Karakura Town for the first time in many years, he knew everything was about to change. He'd sensed the shinigami girl earlier that day, but this power was huge, was captain-level, and felt distinctly familiar. He'd had a _talk_ with Isshin when he'd accepted his gigai, and told him there was a slight chance he wouldn't be able to regain shinigami form. What would have prompted him to risk it?

Not surprisingly, Isshin showed up at the store a half hour later, clothes caked with blood and a shocked expression on his face.

"Kisuke," he said. "I need to talk to you."

They sat down on the tatami mats in the main room of the store, facing each other, with serious expressions rarely seen on either face. Kisuke poured them both tea and hoped Isshin's family was okay – he'd watched them from a distance on occasion, especially after Masaki's death. The two adorable girls, Karin and Yuzu, and the boy, Ichigo. All three had incredible amounts of reiatsu, and Kisuke didn't know what to do about them – there'd never been half-human, half-shinigami in the world as far as he'd known.

"Kisuke," Isshin said again. "My son. Ichigo. He's…he turned into a shinigami tonight."

Urahara choked on his tea, but tried to school his expression to hide his surprise. "Did he?" The captain-level reiatsu had been his _son_?

"I figured you'd know." Isshin settled back on his hands, sighed loudly, and looked at the ceiling. "I never thought they'd have to deal with my burden, you know. I figured since they were half human, none of them would inherit my powers." He frowned. "Apparently I was wrong. Ichigo and Karin both have huge amounts of reiatsu…they take after me in that regard. Kisuke, they're both in danger, and Yuzu isn't exactly a normal human either."

"You knew this was a possibility," Kisuke reminded him, taking another sip of tea. "When Masaki was pregnant with Ichigo, you worried that something would be wrong with him the whole nine months. No one's ever bred shinigami and humans before."

"Always looking at things like a scientist," Isshin grumbled. "I just watched my son slay a Hollow tonight and you're telling me about breeding." He glared at his own tea but didn't take it.

"His reiatsu is captain-level, you know," Kisuke commented offhandedly. "I thought it was you. It felt like yours."

"I wouldn't risk losing the gigai, although when that cute shinigami girl got injured, I thought for a moment I might have to." Isshin frowned again. "I was about to drop the gigai and take care of it myself when she gave her powers to Ichigo."

"She gave her powers to Ichigo?" Kisuke was startled again. Twice in one night – he wasn't sure if he liked that. "So they're not his own."

"He has his own," Isshin replied. "I can feel them, beneath the girl's. It took her strange reiatsu to wake his powers up, but even if he was to lose her powers, he'd be able to retain his shinigami form. I never wanted my children to have this burden. Masaki…she would never forgive me if she knew."

"I didn't think your shinigami powers would be passed down. They're not genetically part of your gigai, but I suppose since the only real part of you here is your soul, perhaps that was passed down like genetics. We know in soul society that parents with strong reiatsu will be much more likely to have children with strong reiatsu, so I suppose it makes sense for humans as well, but no one has ever crossed them before…"

"What do I do?" Isshin groaned, as usual ignoring Kisuke's tangent. "I have a half-shinigami upstart teenager on my hands, who's going to be fighting Hollows. The cute girl they sent lost her powers – she looks familiar. I think she was in Jyuushirou's division, but it's been twenty years. What do I know? Where is she going to go? What if Ichigo gets hormonal? What if he _likes_ her and falls in love and has three-fourths shinigami babies? WHAT DO I DO?"

"Calm down and drink your tea," Kisuke said promptly. "Ichigo falling in love with a shinigami girl is probably the least of your problems at this point."

Isshin frowned and thunked his head on the table. "I know. But what if I have to train him? I don't want him to know who I am, Kisuke. It would seriously disrupt our beautiful father-son relationship!" He practically sparkled with enthusiasm and Kisuke felt bad for him.

"Then don't tell him. If the girl was part of Jyuushirou's squad, she's been taught to clean up her mistakes. She'll probably train him for you, and I'll see if I can find wherever she's hidden and offer her a gigai to give her more incentive to stay. You need to go back home and get some rest. I'm sure she's looking for you so she can plant some false memories, so just play along."

"She already did!" Isshin said brightly. "Apparently a truck crashed into our home. Such a cute, creative girl! Perfect for my Ichigo—"

"Then go sleep. The best you can do is keep an eye on him. I'll be here giving the girl guidance as well. Between the two of us, there's no way we can screw this up." He gave Isshin one of his famous carefree smiles and Isshin smiled back, suddenly back to normal. "We still on for Friday?"

"WE'RE ALWAYS ON FOR FRIDAY!" Isshin shouted enthusiastically. "Now it's time to get my beauty rest! I have a son to kick tomorrow morning!"

When Kisuke looked up from his teacup, he was gone. It was time to go for a walk.

He found her in the street, a petite shinigami girl with black hair. She was weak from her injuries and had very little reiatsu left, which was fine by him – it would make her more receptive to using a gigai until she recovered her strength.

"My name is Urahara Kisuke," he spoke, and she looked up at him with heavy eyes.

"I've heard of you," she whispered. "You were exiled." He smiled cheerfully at her.

"I can offer you a gigai to use until you regain your strength. If you'd like. It will be exhausting for you to train Kurosaki Ichigo without one." The smile never left his face, and he could see her considering the idea. He knew who she would be training, knew the work cut out for this slight girl, and she scowled at him and he laughed. She was tough, like steel, even if she was tiny. "Come back to my store with me, and we'll see what we can find."

For a moment it looked as though she was going to refuse. Then, she nodded slightly, standing shakily and taking the arm he offered her.

"My name is Kuchiki Rukia," she told him. "And I would appreciate a gigai if you're willing to lend me one."

Kisuke was still smiling. "I have just the thing."


End file.
